Appendix I: The Ecology of Dune

           Beyondacriticalpointwithinafinitespace,freedomdiminishesasnumbersincrease.Thisisastrueofhumansinthefinitespaceofaplanetaryecosystemasitisofgasmoleculesinasealedflask.

           Thehumanquestionisnothowmanycanpossiblysurvivewithinthesystem,butwhatkindofexistenceispossibleforthosewhodosurvive.

           —PardotKynes,FirstPlanetologistofArrakis

           THEEFFECTofArrakisonthemindofthenewcomerusuallyisthatofoverpoweringbarrenland.Thestrangermightthinknothingcouldliveorgrowintheopenhere,thatthiswasthetruewastelandthathadneverbeenfertileandneverwouldbe.

           ToPardotKynes,theplanetwasmerelyanexpressionofenergy,amachinebeingdrivenbyitssun.Whatitneededwasreshapingtofitittoman’sneeds.

           Hismindwentdirectlytothefree-movinghumanpopulation,theFremen.Whatachallenge!Whatatooltheycouldbe!Fremen:anecologicalandgeologicalforceofalmostunlimitedpotential.

           Adirectandsimplemaninmanyways,PardotKynes.OnemustevadeHarkonnenrestrictions?Excellent.ThenonemarriesaFremenwoman.WhenshegivesyouaFremenson,youbeginwithhim,withLiet-Kynes,andtheotherchildren,teachingthemecologicalliteracy,creatinganewlanguagewithsymbolsthatarmthemindtomanipulateanentirelandscape,itsclimate,seasonallimits,andfinallytobreakthroughallideasofforceintothedazzlingawarenessoforder.

           “There’saninternallyrecognizedbeautyofmotionandbalanceonanyman-healthyplanet,”Kynessaid.“Youseeinthisbeautyadynamicstabilizingeffectessentialtoalllife.